Governor Gerald L. Baliles served as the 65th Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. His tenure as governor capped a career in public service that included serving as the attorney general of Virginia (1982-85) and a member of the Virginia House of Delegates (1976-82). He became the Miller Center’s fifth director in April 2006. Always a champion of education, he founded the Patrick County Education Foundation. He is a strong supporter of the VFCCE and has a VFCCE funded scholarship in his name. In addition to a number of honorary degrees, Baliles holds a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School. Governor Baliles and his wife Robin reside in Charlottesville, Virginia.
John T. Casteen, III, retired in 2010 as the president of the University of Virginia, a position he has held since 1990. His distinguished career includes serving as president of the University of Connecticut from 1985-1990, and as Virginia's Secretary of Education from 1982 until 1985. Previous to those appointments he served as U.Va.'s dean of admissions and taught English at the University of Virginia and the University of California-Berkeley. Among many achievements during his tenure at the University of Virginia, the university was recognized for its leadership in educating minority students and for pursuing guaranteed transfer agreements with Virginia's Community Colleges. In March 2010, Mr. Casteen was honored as the Virginian of the Year, the highest citizen honor given by the Virginia Press Association.
Glenn DuBois became chancellor of the Virginia Community College System in July 2001, serving as chief executive officer of a 23-college, 40-campus system of comprehensive community colleges. He was previously commissioner and CEO of the New Hampshire Community Technical College System, with seven campuses, and was director of community colleges for the State University of New York, one of the nation’s largest networks of community colleges. In addition, he has more than 10 years of teaching experience.
James W. Dyke, Jr.'s broad practice covers corporate, legislative, education, governmental relations, and municipal law. He previously served as secretary of education under Governor L. Douglas Wilder and as domestic policy advisor to former Vice President Walter Mondale. He is an active leader in the Northern Virginia business community having served as chairman of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce; chairman of the Northern Virginia Business Roundtable; chairman of the Northern Virginia Community College Educational Foundation; and chairman of the Emerging Business Forum. He was elected chairman-elect for 2009 of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the largest regional business organization in the Washington, DC area. He is serving on the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV), the Commission to Restructure Virginia's Tax Structure, and the board of directors of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce.
Adam M. Fried is chief executive officer of Atlantic Builders, Ltd., of Fredericksburg. He started Atlantic Builders in 1988 when he moved to Fredericksburg, where he lives with his wife Rhonda and three children. Atlantic Builders received the National Association of Homebuilders’ National Housing Quality Award in 2006 and the 2011 Goodwill Award for Philanthropy from the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce. Atlantic Builders established scholarships for Germanna Community College students in 2010. Previously Fried has served on numerous bank, civic, religious and non-profit boards. Currently he serves on the board of the Rappahannock council Against Domestic Violence. He is a past recipient of the Fredericksburg Area Builders Association’s Builder of the Year Award and was named a Big Brother of the Year. He received a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a master’s in real estate development from Columbia University.
Stephen T. Gannon is executive vice president and deputy general counsel of Capital One Financial Corporation, where he manages the company’s Legal Department and Policy Affairs group. He began his career with the Hunton and Williams law firm in Richmond, moving in 1985 to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C., where he became a branch chief in the Division of Enforcement. Gannon returned to Richmond to head the Securities Litigation and Regulatory Counseling Group at the LeClairRyan law firm. Gannon also served as the General Counsel of the Retail Brokerage Group of what is now Wells Fargo Advisors before moving to his current post in 2007. Gannon speaks and writes frequently on securities, litigation, and in-house legal department management issues. He received his undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Georgetown University, and his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was an associate editor of the law journal The Tax Lawyer.
Jennifer Sager Gentry is executive director of the VFCCE, as well as vice chancellor for institutional advancement for Virginia’s Community Colleges, and is responsible for private fundraising, governmental relations and marketing. As executive director, she works with a statewide board of directors to generate awareness and resources on behalf of Virginia’s 23 Community Colleges. Dr. Gentry has created a robust scholarship program and started the Great Expectations Initiative serving Virginia’s foster youth. Formerly, she was vice president and managing partner of The Clements Group, a national fundraising consulting firm specializing in community and technical colleges. While there, she organized major gifts fundraising campaigns for more than 20 community and technical colleges in 13 states targeting over $90 million. She began her career at Lord Fairfax Community College, where she built a comprehensive institutional advancement program. Dr. Gentry received her doctorate from Nova Southeastern University, a master’s degree in business administration from James Madison University, and a bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater College. She is a 2006 graduate of Lead Virginia, and also serves as an adjunct faculty member with the University of Richmond’s Institute on Philanthropy.
Edwin C. Hall of Roanoke is president and CEO of Hall Associates, Inc. and has been in the commercial and industrial real estate field since 1967. He holds seven nationally recognized real estate professional designations and co-founded Hall Associates Inc. in 1975. He has been the sole owner and principal broker since 1980. He serves on the Virginia Western Community College Foundation Board and founded the Hall Associates Career & Employment Center at the college. He received the Chancellor's Award for Leadership in Philanthropy in 2009,a nd received VWCC's Educational Foundation Impact Award in 2009. Hall is an active participant in a wide range of business and civic organizations designed to meet the needs of the people and businesses in the Roanoke Valley, including Downtown Roanoke Inc. He is also president of the Foundation for Downtown Roanoke and past chair of the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce.
William C. Hall, Jr., is vice president-corporate communications & community affairs for Dominion. A native of Danville, he received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Richmond in 1975. Prior to joining Virginia Power in 1983, he served as managing editor of The Danville Register. He joined Virginia Power as senior media representative and has served as director of news services, director of banking and public relations, and director of investor relations. He served as assistant treasurer for Virginia Power and then for Dominion and joined corporate communications in 1997, assuming his current position in September 2006. He serves on the boards of the American Heart Association, the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Richmond, the Virginia State Rehabilitation Council, and others.
Charles F. Hess is a principal owner and chief executive officer of HESS Construction + Engineering Services, a family owned business started in 1914 headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland. HESS is a leading provider of educational and institutional construction in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. His community service includes memberships on the board of directors of the Greater Washington Board of Trade; the Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education, the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and the Montgomery Chamber Foundation. He also serves on the board of directors for Identity Inc. and is a trustee at the Connelly School of the Holy Child. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland and George Washington University.
Ronald H. Holmes is a vice president of wealth management and senior financial advisor with Merrill Lynch/ Bank of America. A native of Fredericksburg, he received a bachelor’s degree from the College of William & Mary, and an M.B.A. in finance from George Mason University. Mr. Holmes began his career in financial services in 1990 as a financial advisor with Wheat First Securities. He is senior partner of Holmes, Riley & Associates of Merrill Lynch, a team of financial professionals which provides advisory and investment services to the high net worth and institutional markets. Previously, Mr. Holmes has served as campaign and board chair of the Rappahannock United Way, president of Fredericksburg Big Brothers & Big Sisters and Treasurer of Fredericksburg Hospice. Currently he serves on the boards of the Spotsylvania Educational Foundation, the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce (Enterprise Board), and the Cal Ripken Sr., Foundation. He is a past recipient of the Jaycees Distinguished Service Award.
Kathleen A. Langan of McLean, Virginia is the former executive vice president and chief operating officer of HESS Construction + Engineering Services, where she provided strategic direction, aligning business, service and operations initiatives with company goals, and oversaw the management of four business divisions, including K-12, Higher Education, Federal Education and Community Facilities. Prior to joining HESS, she served as director of design and construction services for Arlington Public Schools, where she managed an annual $200 million educational capital improvement program and administered the design, construction and facility management of more than 45 educational and public facilities. Through the Circle of Excellence Awards, she is the recipient of the 2011 SmartCXO Award, which recognizes corporate executives who model excellence in all categories of business. She was also the recipient of the 2010 Women of Achievement Award, recognizing business women in the construction industry. The award is sponsored by the Professional Women in Construction of the District of Columbia.
Chandra D. Lantz is an attorney with Hirschler Fleischer in Richmond, where her practice includes commercial business issues with special emphasis on construction litigation and the use and development of property. She specializes in resolving, through court or otherwise, unique land use disputes on behalf of private entities and local governments. Prior to joining the firm, she was a judicial clerk for The Honorable Elizabeth B. Lacy of the Supreme Court of Virginia. She has a bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College, and a law degree from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary. Virginia Business Magazine recognized her as part of the Legal Elite in 2006, 2008 and 2009, and she is listed among “Virginia Super Lawyers” in 2010 and 2011. She is also a member of Associated General Contractors (AGC); Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC); Local Government Attorney’s Association (LGA); and the Virginia Women Attorney’s Association (VWAA); among others.
Bernard "Bernie" McGinn began his career as an account executive with Merrill Lynch. In 1991, Mr. McGinn started his own company, McGinn Investment Management, which provides investment advisory services to individuals and families, as well as to pension and profit sharing plans, and charitable trusts. He is a member of the Association of Investment Management and Research (AIMR) and a member of the Washington Society of Investment Analysts. Additionally, he serves as an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.
Dean C. Merrill is vice president of consulting at CGI-AMS, with more than 35 years experience in information systems management. He is responsible for state and local client relationships and projects for the Mid-Atlantic region, and was responsible for implementing an award-winning public-private partnership with the Virginia Department of Taxation. Prior to joining CGI-AMS in 1990, Mr. Merrill was senior vice president for an international software company in the government and corporate markets.
Janet M. Osborn is principal and southeast region manager for consulting sales for Hewitt Associates, LLC, where she manages the Northern Virginia office as well as consulting teams in Charlotte and Atlanta, generating average new sales of $5 million annually from large corporations and non-profit organizations. She was previously director of higher education sales for Sallie Mae. She has served as a member and volunteer services committee chair for the Fund for William and Mary and is currently on the board of directors for the Muscarelle Museum at the College of William and Mary.
Julien G. Patterson founded OMNIPLEX World Services Corporation in 1990. Under his leadership as president and CEO, the company has grown to a successful mid-sized corporation with two wholly owned subsidiaries, OMNISEC International Investigations, Inc. and OMNISEC International Security Services, Inc. OMNIPLEX World Services Corporation delivers professional intelligence support services, investigative and physical security services to corporations and government agencies located throughout the world. Formerly with the CIA, Patterson has served on various boards and committees including the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Public Safety Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Neck.
Michael J. Quillen is president and chief executive officer as well as a member of the board of directors of Alpha Natural Resources of Abingdon, one of the top coal producers in the country. Previously he was executive vice president of American Metals and Coal International. A resident of Bristol, he has more than 30 years of experience in the coal industry, starting as an engineer. He has been involved with Virginia’s Community Colleges for the past 25 years and has served on the State Board for Community Colleges, as a local college board member and as a college foundation board member.
Caroline H. Rapking possesses nearly 24 years of experience in public sector information systems consulting. Her many accomplishments include the creation and closing of the $300M Public-Private Partnership project to implement the Commonwealth of Virginia Enterprise Architecture Initiative. She has had significant engagement and project management responsibility, provided business systems consulting and product direction and leadership to both clients and to the corporation, and has been a member of business development teams responsible for over $500 million in sales. Ms. Rapking has served on the Board of Directors of Nextel Partners, a Fortune 1000 company and an affiliate of Nextel Communications (now Sprint Nextel).
P. Martin Sharpless, Jr. is a vice president with Gilbane, a family-owned construction company with local offices in Arlington and Richmond, Virginia. He has more than 25 years experience in the design and construction industry focused on higher education, research and institutional clients in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Mr. Sharpless was previously an associate with Kling-Lindquist, a major Architectural/ Engineering firm in Philadelphia and Washington, DC. In addition, Mr. Sharpless has experience in real estate development, and with Ballinger, another major A/E firm based in Philadelphia. He is a registered architect in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and graduated from Penn State University.
Michael A. Smith began his career with Valley Proteins, Inc. as co-director of plant operations and environmental affairs in 1989, after graduating from Shepherd College. Promoted to vice president in 1994, Smith and his brother, Gerald F. Smith, now co-owners, have been committed to providing “excellent ecologically sound service.” Valley Proteins, Inc. is a family-owned rendering business with 12 plants in seven states, including Virginia. Its processing facilities recycle various food waste materials into usable products for feed and industrial applications. Smith has served on various boards and committees including the Powhatan School Board of Directors, Shepherd University Foundation Board and the National Renderers Association.
Richard R. Teaff is the President of Dabney S. Lancaster Community College in Clifton Forge, VA. Prior to this position, he served as the Vice President and Dean of the College for Fulton-Montgomery Community College in Johnstown, NY. Dr. Teaff’s teaching experience spans over 25 years, and he has taught at institutions including the College of Saint Rose, the University of Akron and Monroe County Community College. He is actively involved in his community, and serves on several boards including the Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Board, the Stonewall Jackson Community Foundation Board and the Roanoke Partnership.
Ronald L. “Ron” Tillett is the Managing Director, Public Finance with Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc. in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to joining Morgan Keegan, Mr. Tillett served as Secretary of Finance for the Commonwealth of Virginia from 1996 to 2001 and from 1993 served as State Treasurer for the Commonwealth. He served as Deputy State Treasurer from 1987-93. Mr. Tillett also served as a Senior Legislative Analyst for the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (1978-83) and the House Appropriations Committee (1983-87) of the Virginia General Assembly. In addition to these positions, Mr. Tillett has served on a significant number of boards and government authorities, including the Board of Visitors for The College of William and Mary and the Virginia Blood Service Board of Directors, chairing that Board's Finance and Audit Committee.
Donna M. VanCleave is the vice chancellor for administrative services with the Virginia Community College System. She has served in this capacity since October 2008, where she oversees the areas of operating and capital budget development, facilities management, human resources, and accounting and fiscal services. She began her career in state government as an Education Budget Analyst at the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget. She then served as university budget director at Virginia State University. She joined the Virginia Lottery where she was the director of finance and served as Interim Executive Director for a year. In August 2006, Ms. VanCleave joined Radford University as vice president for finance and chief financial officer. Ms. VanCleave obtained a BA in communications studies from Virginia Tech and masters in business administration from the College of William and Mary.
Jeanette Wang is an award-winning recording artist. She has performed around the world and has received numerous awards including the Golden Bell and Golden Tripod award which are southeast Asian equivalents of an Emmy and Grammy award. Ms. Wang has also performed at numerous official events, including the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China at Taiwan’s Presidential Square where she sang the national anthem. When she is not performing, Ms. Wang resides in Richmond and Northern Virginia.
Robert W. Woltz, Jr. is the former president of Verizon Virginia Inc. where he was responsible for operations, governmental relations, external affairs, regulatory matters and financial results. A long-time employee of Verizon (formerly Bell Atlantic), Mr. Woltz has experience in a broad set of functions including network services, human resources, public communications and marketing operations. He serves as a member of the Virginia Business Council, Virginia FREE, and on the boards of Verizon Virginia, the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, and the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy. Mr. Woltz also serves on the executive committees of Venture Richmond and the Management Roundtable, and on the board of the VCU School of Engineering. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Hampden-Sydney College.